Rules of membership

1. 1. Titles and Grades
      The IFE draws a distinction between titles and grades of membership. Titles are awarded to persons and organisations who have an interest in the objectives of the IFE, or to members who have made a considerable personal contribution to the IFEs objectives. The grades of the membership form the framework for recognition of professional development.
   2. Titles
      
      1. The title of Affiliate is available for organisations, or individuals with an interest in fire engineering who have not, at this stage, met the requirements of a membership grade.
      2. The Companion title is the IFE’s only premier title that can only be made by a nomination. It is a title that is awarded to members of any grade who have given outstanding service to the IFE and/or to an IFE branch and/or to the profession of fire engineering. Members that have been awarded the Companion title retain their original IFE grade. For example, a Companion Graduate member may use the post-nominal letters CGIFireE.
   3. Grades
      The grades are prescribed in the IFEs Schedule of By-Laws and provide for both corporate (voting) and non-corporate membership. The IFE encourages all fire engineers to continually develop their membership status and to engage with IFE activities. Post-nominal letters may only be used by current, fully paid-up members. The IFE will take action in the event of unauthorised use of post-nominal letters, including continued use despite non-payment of subscriptions. 
      1. Corporate Grades
         

         Grade	Post Nominal Letters
         Associate	AIFireE
         Member	MIFireE
         Fellow	FIFireE
         Life Fellow	FIFireE (Life)

      2. Non-Corporate Grades
         

         Grade	Post Nominal Letters
         Student	None
         Technician	TIFireE
         Graduate	GIFireE

      Candidates applying for membership grades, or to transfer between grades, will be expected to provide appropriate evidence of eligibility. There are general requirements for membership and specific requirements for each grade of membership.

   4. Requirements for Membership
      1. Adherence to the IFEs Code of Conduct policy (Code of Conduct)
      2. Compliance with the principles of the IFEs Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Guidance (CPD Guidance)
   5. Requirements for Entry to Specific Grades of Membership
      1. Student
         1. Currently following a programme of study (evidence must be provided)
         2. Membership at Student grade is allowed for a maximum of five years, after which the individual will be required to apply to transfer to a different grade of IFE membership or to the title of Affiliate Individual
      2. Technician
         1. Applicants should provide evidence that they have achieved a qualification (or a combination of qualifications) that meets the following criteria:
            • In a fire-related subject area at Level 3 or above requiring at least 130 hours of learning time (at least 13 credits)
              • Examples of qualifications that meet the criteria include:
                1. IFE Level 3 Certificate in Fire Science, Operations, Fire Safety and Management
                2. IFE Level 3 Certificate in Fire Service Operations and Incident Command
                3. Operational Firefighter apprenticeship
                4. EngTech registration (Engineering Council UK or international equivalent)
                5. Successful completion (including passing associated assessments) of an IFE Recognised Educational Programme for TIFireE
            • Other Requirements
              1. At least 2 years of experience working in a fire-related role Evidence of completion of at least 25 hours of relevant Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in the previous 12 months. PLUS CPD guidance can be found here.
      3. Graduate
         1. Level 3 Diploma; or NVQ Level 3 (fire-related); or UK Statutory Officer exams; or Recognised Educational Programme for Graduate grade; or Equivalent (email: adminstaff@ife.org.za )
         2. At least 12 months of experience demonstrated by 25 hours of sufficient and relevant Continuing Professional Development (CPD).  Applicants are required to submit a CPD log with their application. Please refer to the CPD Guidance Document and Recognised CPD Activity Listing to record CPD activities.
         3. A minimum of 3 years of acceptable fire-related training and responsible experience
      4. Associate
         1. Degree in a fire-related subject; or IFE Level 4 Diploma; or Recognised Educational Programme for Member grade; or Equivalent (email: adminstaff@ife.org.za)
         2. Two referees currently holding an IFE corporate grade of membership (AIFireE, MIFireE or FIFireE)
      5. Member
         1. Degree in a fire-related subject; or IFE Level 4 Diploma; or Recognised Educational Programme for Member grade; or Equivalent (email: adminstaff@ife.org.za); or via the Technical Report Route (minimum 15 years of increasing responsibility and experience in fire engineering).
         2. Two referees currently holding an IFE Member or Fellow grade of membership (MIFireE or FIFireE)
         3. Two years of relevant and sufficient CPD immediately prior to application
         4. Provide a professional review report demonstrating how they have met the Initial Professional Development (IPD) requirements for Member grade. Please see IPD Report Guidance
         5. Indicative length of experience required:  5 years
      6. Fellow (from 3 June 2017)
         1. Current MIFireE membership of the IFE and has been a Member (MIFireE) grade for a minimum of three continuous years
         2. Significant individual responsibility sustained achievement and exceptional professionalism, successful leadership and/or outstanding service/contribution to the fire engineering profession over an extended period (normally not less than 15 years)
         3. A Personal Statement including involvement so far with the IFE through Branches, SIGs, examinations etc and future plans to maintain involvement and help to promote the IFE
         4. A CPD record for the last two years
         5. Two referees currently holding an IFE Fellow grade of membership
      7. Life Fellow – Access to this grade is by invitation from the IFE’s Board of Directors, who may elect as a Life Fellow a current Fellow member who has given outstanding service to the IFE for many years. Life Fellows are not normally under the age of 65 years and, at any one time, the number of Life Fellows cannot exceed six.
   6. What to expect –  Email correspondence which will confirm submission of your application, regular reminders of open applications, an unsuccessful outcome with resubmission opportunity, successful outcome, unsuccessful outcome, cancelled applications etc. Some emails will be customised to provide feedback and recommendations specific to your application. Possible outcomes:
      1. Non–graded memberships
         1. Affiliate–awarded.
         2. Student–awarded, unsuccessful with a resubmit permitted, unsuccessful application closed.
      2. Graded memberships
         1. At the desktop review stage – ready for Election panel, unsuccessful with a resubmit permitted, unsuccessful with application closed.
         2. At the final review stage –awarded, unsuccessful with a resubmit permitted, awarded alternate grade, unsuccessful with application closed. 
         3. Resubmissions – You are able to resubmit your application with changes.  An email will be sent advising that your application has been unsuccessful but providing the opportunity to edit your application and resubmit.  The email will outline the areas in which you have not met the requirements for the grade that you have applied for. The unsuccessful resubmit opportunity can occur at either the desktop review or final review stage.
   7. Engineering Council Registration
      The Engineering Council has five sections of registration:
      1. Chartered Engineer (CEng)
      2. Interim Registrant for Chartered Engineer
      3. Incorporated Engineer (IEng)
      4. Interim Registrant for Incorporated Engineer
      5. Engineering Technician (EngTech)

      Please refer to the Rules of the IFE Registrants Group, available at www.ife.org.uk, for details.

      Successful applicants for Engineering Council registration are automatically granted an appropriate grade of membership.

      Engineering Council Section	IFE Membership Grade Automatically Granted	Post Nominal Letters
      Chartered Engineer	Member	CEng MIFireE
      Interim Registration for Chartered Engineer	Associate	AIFireE
      Incorporated Engineer	Member	IEng MIFireE
      Interim Registration for Incorporated Engineer	Associate	AIFireE
      Engineering Technician	Technician	EngTech TIFireE

      In the circumstance of a member already being in a higher level IFE membership grade than the grade automatically conferred at the time of registration, then the higher IFE grade remains in place. For example, should a Fellow member (FIFireE) successfully be registered as a Chartered Engineer (CEng), he or she would retain Fellow membership and be able to use the post-nominal letters CEng FIFireE.

   8. Subscriptions

      1. Annual membership subscriptions fall due on 1st January each year. A renewal notice is sent to all members each year.
      2. New members joining in the last three months of the calendar year are only required to pay for the subsequent years’ subscription and effectively receive three months of membership in their year of joining free of charge.
      3. Non-payment of subscriptions results in the member being struck off the membership list and losing the privileges of membership, including the right to use the distinctive titles and post-nominal letters. Members who wish to rejoin may be charged an administrative fee.
      4. Subscription fees are set by the Board and are reviewed annually.
      5. Where a local branch exists outside the UK, annual subscriptions are payable to the local branch, which may retain fifty per cent of the subscription to support local IFE activities, and remits the remainder to the IFE’s Head Office to fund central membership expenses such as the International Fire Professional Journal and administration.
   9. Membership of IFE Branches
      1. The IFE has many local branches and groups established internationally, as well as Special Interest Groups (SIGs).
      2. Membership of the IFE is not conditional on membership in any geographical branch or any Special Interest Group.
      3. Membership of an IFE branch, group or Special Interest Group is conditional on membership in the main body of the IFE.
      4. In some cases, additional fees are payable to be a member of a local branch of the IFE, although these are usually minimal and there are normally considerable benefits of joining such as access to CPD activities, professional networks, potential mentors and social activities.
   10. Code of Conduct
       As laid down in the IFE’s By-Laws, any member of the IFE may be suspended, asked to resign, or struck off the membership roll if, in the opinion of the Board of Directors, the member is guilty of dishonourable or unprofessional conduct. Please refer to the IFE Code of Conduct (Code of Conduct).